Re: tachometer problem
You probably blew the rectifier, bet you your battery isn't charging either. Or you fried the stator, either way you need to start testing electronics.
Rectifiers have diodes in them and when you reverse cables you put too much power back through the recitifier and one or all diodes blow.
Rectifier Test:
Remove the rectifier wires from the terminal block. Using a ohm meter, connect the black lead of the ohm meter to the rectifier base (ground), then one by one, connect the red lead of the ohm meter to the yellow, yellow/gray, then the red wire (some rectifiers may also have a fourth yellow/blue wire. If so connect to that also). Now, reverse the ohm meter leads and check those same wires again. You should get a reading in one direction, and none at all in the other direction.
Now, connect the black lead of the ohm meter to the red wire. One by one, connect the red lead of the ohm meter to the yellow, yellow/gray, and if present, the yellow/blue wire. Then reverse the leads, checking the wires again.
Once more, you should get a reading in one direction and none in the other.
Note that the reading obtained from the red rectifier wire will be lower then what is obtained from the other wires.
Any deviation from the "Reading", "No Reading" as above indicates a faulty rectifier. Note that a rectifier will not tolerate reverse polarity.